The present invention relates to an orthopedic brace and especially to an adjustable, modular bending brace for treating lateral curvature of the spine or scoliosis.
A wide variety of orthopedic appliances for treatment of various conditions, including orthopedic braces for the treatment of scoliosis are known in the art. One such system employs a girdle or corset fitted to the wearer's body and positioned around the pelvis and chest, with appropriate attachments for the neck. Another prior structure employs a prefabricated girdle to which the super-structure may be attached. One prior apparatus is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,945,376 and utilizes various bars and straps joined by a rigid pelvic band positioned about the hips of the wearer and flexible iliac crest members on each side at the crest or top of the pelvic structure. A scoliosis brace known from U.S. Pat. No. 2,687,129 treats lateral curvature of the spine and joins a hip pad and chest pad with straps around the patient's body and over his shoulder, and allows for an adjustable tension means for engaging the body tangentially to the point of greatest convexity of the spine. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,336 a scoliosis orthotic system has an anterior panel and a pair of posterior panels connected by pelvic bands and iliac crest members. U.S. Pat. No. 3,878,841 shows an adjustable supportive and dynamic orthotic device for raising and supporting the shoulder of a surgical patient, while U.S. Pat. No. 1,935,859 shows an orthopedic appliance for the treatment of scoliosis having a plurality of adjustable pads interconnected to the body of the patient. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,558 an orthopedic full body brace for the treatment of scoliosis is worn only while the patient is asleep or in a lying position and utilizes two interconnected shells conforming to a desired bending angle to apply a correcting force directly to the spine.
These devices have been satisfactory. However, they suffer from the disadvantage that the shells and panels are not adjustable. Until now, orthotists have been forced to custom-order the braces and appliances for each patient based on casts and measurements. Whenever a patient grew or progressed, a new brace had to be custom ordered based on a new set of casts and measurements. Each brace required time and money to produce and deliver. Accordingly, an adjustable off the shelf brace which overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art is desired.